Trench digging attachment for motor vehicles



June 14, 1955 (:HARTlER 2,710,466

TRENCH DIGGING ATTACHMENT FOR MOTOR VEHICLES Filed Aug. 20, 1951 4Sheets-Sheet 1 5y Ame/ 1a aka/ewe,

June 14, 1955 E. D. CHARTIER 2,710,466

TRENCH DIGGING ATTACHMENT FOR MOTOR VEHICLES Filed Aug. 20. 1951 4Sheets-Sheet 2 E. D. CHARTIER TRENCH DIGGTNG ATTACHMENT FOR MOTORVEHICLES June 14, 1955 4 Shpts-Sheej. 5

Filed Aug. 20, 1951 June 14, 1955 E. D. CHARTIER TRENCH DIGGINGATTACHMENT FOR MOTOR VEHICLES Filed Aug. 20; 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 4Patented June 14, 1955 ice TRENCH DEGGENG ATTACHMENT FOR MOTOR VEHICLESEldrick D. Charticr, fiauta Cruz, Calif., assignor to Robert 0. Hansen,Inglewood, Calif.

Application August 20, 1951, Serial No. 242,660

4 Claims. (Cl. 37 eo This invention relates to a trench diggingattachment for motor vehicles and particularly the type of motor vehicleknown as a jeep.

An object of my invention is to provide a novel trench diggingattachment which can be mounted on a relatively small motor vehicle,such as a jeep and mounted in such a manner that the weight carried bythe rear end of the vehicle is not excessive, and also when the boom israised to non-digging position that the weight is so distributed thatthere is no dangerous overhanging or" the weight structure beyond therear wheels but, on the contrary, the weight is carried close to therear wheels thus enabling the vehicle to be guided On the roadway andwithout dangerous sway.

Another object of my invention is to provide a novel trench diggingattachment in which the boom can b moved from side to side of thevehicle as required to permit the boom to dig a trench in any positiontransversely of the vehicle which might be desired.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a novel means ofmounting the boom so that it can be shifted laterally by a hydrauliccylinder as controlled by the operator.

A feature of my invention resides in the road engaging shoes which aremounted adjacent each side of the trench digging attachment and areraised and lowered with the boom so as to either engage or disengage theroadway.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a novel trenchdigging attachment in which the entire boom structure and digging chaincan be rotated around a drive shaft,. this rotation being accomplishedby means of a hydraulic cylinder attached to a sleeve encircling thedrive shaft.

Still another feature of my invention is to provide a novel trenchdigging attachment with a dirt conveyor belt that carries the dirt toone side of the vehicle and this conveyor being adjustable vertically sothat the dirt from the trench is carried to one side of the ditch in acontinuous mound.

Other objects, advantages and features of invention may appear from theaccompanying drawing, the subjoined detailed description and theappended claims.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my trench digging attachment on a motorvehicle, the attachment being shown in raised position.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of my trench digging attachment in loweredor digging position.

Figure 3 is a side elevation of my trench digging attachment with theboom in partially raised position.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the digger chain.

Figure 5 is a top plan view of my trench digging attachment.

Figure 6 is a transverse sectional view of the drive mechanism and themethod of mounting the boom n the drive shaft.

Figure 7 is a sectional view taken on line 7-7 of Figure 3.

Figure 8 is a sectional view taken on line 8-8 of Figure 7.

Figure 9 is a sectional view taken on line 9-9 of Figure 7.

Figure 10 is a perspective view of the mount for the dirt conveying beltand the means to raise and lower the same.

Referrin more particularly to the drawing, the numeral 1 indicates amotor vehicle, such as a jeep which includes the usual rear deck 2,positioned above the rear wheels 3. A pair of plates 4 and are mountedone on each side of the deck and are fixedly attached to this deck bysuitable means, such as welded, bolted, etc., these plates are eachfixedly attached to a pair of spaced rods 6 and 7, which extendlaterally of the deck 2. The side plates i and 5 and the rods 6 and 7form a rigid foundation upon which the trench digging attachment ismounted.

A sleeve 8 fits on the rod 5 and is materially shorter than this rodand, therefore, can slide from end to end of this rod. A similar sleeve1 is mounted on the rod 7 and is slidable on this rod simultaneouslywith the sleeve 8, as will be further described.

An arm is fixedly attached at one end to the sleeve 8 and at the otherend to a gear box 11; the construction of this gear box is the same asthe standard rear end or differential gear housing of the usualautomobile. A second arm 12 is fixedly attached at one end to the sleeve8, and at the other end to the mounting of the boom 13. This mounting isbest shown in Figure 6. A trunnion 14 is fixedly secured to the outerend of the arm 12 and projects inwardly from this arm, substantially asshown. The boom 13 is provided with a tubular housing 15, one end ofwhich housing fits on to the trunnion l4 and the other end fits on thetube in which projects from the gear housing 11. Thus it will be evidentthat the inner end of the boom 13 is rotatably mounted on the trunnion14 and the tube 16 so that the boom can be raised or lowered.

The gear box 11 is additionally braced and supported by asecond'supporting arm 17 which extends from the sleeve 9 and is fixedlyattached thereto and thence to the gear box 11 to which it is alsofixedly attached.

As thus far described, it will be evident that the sleeves 8 and 9 canslide on the rods 6 and 7, respectively, thus moving the boom 13 fromadjacent one side of the vehicle to the other side, and this side toside movement of the boom 13 is accomplished by a hydraulic cylinder 18which lies horizontally, one end thereof being secured to the side plate4 and the piston of the cylinder 13 bears against the arm 12. As thehydraulic cylinder 13 is actuated, the piston rod thereof Will move thesleeves 8 and 9 along the rods 6 and '7 so as to position the boom 13 asrequired by the operator. A drive shaft 19 extends into the gear box 11for the purpose of driving the shaft 26 and the sprocket 21 at the innerend of the boom 13 is mounted on the shaft with a driving connection asis commonly done in vehicle rear drive assemblies. The drive shaft 19extends from a reduction gear box 22, the gears in which are rotated bythe usual power shaft 23 of the vehicle 1. This method of drivingauxiliary mechanism on a motor vehicle is usual and well known in theart. The shaft 20 is journaled in bearings 20a and 29b, which bearingsare mounted in the housing 15.

A digger chain 24 is mounted on the boom 13 and encircles the sprocket21 at one end of the boom and a sprocket 25 at the outer end of theboom. Chain 24 passes over idlers 26 and 27 one of which is positionedat each side of the boom approximately at the center thereof. The chain24 is provided with spaced sockets 28 in which spade-like digger teeth29 are fixedly mounted. The chain 24 rotates in the direction shown bythe arrows in Figure 3, and the outer end of the boom is raised orlowered as required to dig the trench to the necessary depth.

The boom 13 is raised or lowered hydraulically by the followingconstruction:

A sprocket 30 is fixedly secured to the housing 15 and a chain 31encircles this sprocket and an idler is mounted on the arm 10. Ahydraulic cylinder 33 is fixedly mounted on the sleeve 8 and the pistonrod 34 of the same is secured at its outer end to the chain 31. Thus, asthe piston rod 34 is moved inwardly or outwardly by the cylinder 33, thechain 31 will rotated. thus rotating the entire housing 15' which willraise and lower the outer end of the boom 13.

The vehicle 1 is provided with the usual springs the frame of thevehicle and in digging operation the rear springs will tend to vibrateor bounce, and this vibration or vertical movement of one end of theboom is undesirable. To overcome this, I provide a pair of shoes 35 and36, one on each side of the boom 13, and these shoes are pivotallyattached to a transverse shaft 37, which shaft is mounted on arms 38which depend from gear housing 11 and from the arm 12. Lifting links 39and 40 are attached to the shoes 35 and as, the link 39 being attachedat one end to the sleeve 15 and rotates with this sleeve when the boom13 is raised or lowered, thus the shoes 35 and 36 will be raised orlowered simultaneously with the boom 13, as shown in Figures 1 and 2.

A transversely extending conveyor belt 41 is mounted back of the deck 2in the following manner.

A plate 42 is pivotally mounted at 43 on a second plate 44, the plate 44is slidably mounted in vertical guides 45 and 46, which are fixedlyattached to the rear face of the deck 2. The plate 44 can be raised orlowered by means of the manually operated shaft 47 which is journalledon the arms 16 and 12. Linkage 48 extends from the shaft 47 to the plate44, thus raising or lowering this plate in the guides 46 and 45, as theshaft 47 is rotated by the handle 47' on the end of the shaft 47. Alatch (not shown) can engage the handle 47' to hold the plate 44 in araised position. The plate 42 can also be tilted or rotated on its pivot43 by means of the screw jack 4-9 which is mounted on the face of theplate 42 and is threaded through a lug 56 which projects from the plate44. By this means, the belt :1 can be raised or lowered on either sideto cause the dirt to pile correctly on the side of the ditch. The belt41 encircles the pulleys 51 and 52 which are journal ed on the plate4-2, and the belt is con tinuously rotated by means of a small hydraulicmotor 53 which drives one of the pulleys 51 or 52.

In operation, when the trench digger is being moved from place to place,the boom 13 is carried in raised position as shown in Figure l, and inthis position the center of gravity of the entire boom structure isrelatively close to the rear deck 2 and, consequently, close to the rearwheels 3, That is the overhanging weight of the boom assembly isrelatively close to the rear wheels of the vehicle. Therefore, there islittle swaying tendency due to this weight and the vehicle 1 can bemaneuvered in the usual manner.

In the raised position of the boom 13, the hydraulic cylinder 33 hasbeen actuated to pull the chain 31 over the sprocket 3il, thus rotatingthe boom housing and causing the boom 13 to be elevated andsimultaneously raising the shoes 35 36 above the road level. Also theshaft 47 is rotated (either manually or otherwise) and this raises theplate 4-; and the plate 42 which causes the belt 41 to be moved upwardlya sufficient amount for road clearance.

When the trenching operation is about to start, the hydraulic cylinder33 is again operated, rotating the chain 31 so that the sprocket 30 willrotate the housing 55 to lower the outer end of the boom 13. Thisposition is shown in Figures 2 and 3. The hydraulic cylinder 33 iscontinued to be manipulated until the outer end of the boom 13 islowered to the required depth of the trench which is being dug. Theconveyor belt 41 is now lowered by rotating the shaft 47 and thehydraulic motor 53 is started. The belt 41 is also tilted the requiredamount so that the dirt from the ditch is deposited at the requiredposition.

The drive shaft 23 is now started which rotates the drive shaft 19 andthence the shaft 20, thereby rotating the sprocket 21 which drives thechain 24 and causes the teeth 29 to dig the trench. The teeth depositthe dirt on the belt 41 and the accumulated dirt is then deposited atthe side of the trench. The vehicle motor 1 is moved slowly forwardlyand this forward movement is accompanied by a very slow movement so thatthe ditch is dug to the required depth continuously as the vehicle andthe ditch digging attachment moves forwardly. The boom 13 can be legthened or shortened by means of a pivoted handle 55, the end of whichhandle serves as a pawl to engage teeth on the sliding end 56 of theboom. Thus, the boom can be shortened when it is desired to remove thechain for repair purposes.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A trench digging attachment mounted on a motor vehicle, said motorvehicle including a rear deck and a drive means driven from the enginethereof, said trench digging attachment comprising a pair of plates,means mounting each of the plates on the deck, a rod extending betweensaid plates and fixedly attached thereto, a sleeve slidably mounted onsaid rod, a boom projecting rearwardly from said rear deck, sprockets oneach end of the boom, a digger chain encircling said sprockets, a driveshaft on which one of said sprockets is mounted, drive means extendingfrom the first named drive means to said drive shaft, supporting armsextending from said sleeve to said drive shaft, and means attached tothe sleeve to shift said sleeve and supporting arms and boom laterallyon said rod, said means to shift said sleeve including a hydrauliccylinder, means on one of said plates supporting said hydrauliccylinder, said hydraulic cylinder bearing against one of said arms toshift the sleeve, the arms and the boom laterally of the vehicle.

2. A trench digging attachment mounted on a motor vehicle, said motorvehicle including a rear deck, and a drive means driven from the enginethereof, said trench digging attachment comprising a pair of plates,means fixedly mounting each of the plates on the deck and one on eachside thereof, a rod extending between said plates and fixedly attachedthereto, a sleeve slidably mounted on said rod, a pair of spaced armsfixedly attached to said sleeve and projecting rearwardly therefrom, aboom projecting rearwardly from said rear deck, sprockets on each end ofthe boom, a digger chain encircling said sprockets, a drive shaft onwhich one of said sprockets is mounted, a gear housing, said drive shaftprojecting from the gear housing, and drive means extending from thefirst named drive means to said gear housing, said gear housing beingsecured to one of said arms, a tubular housing on the boom encirclingthe drive shaft, means journalling the tubular housing on said arms, andhydraulic means mounted on one of said side plates to shift said sleeveand supporting arms and boom laterally on said rod.

3. A trench digging attachment mounted on a motor vehicle, said motorvehicle including a rear deck, and a drive means driven from the enginethereof, said trench digging attachment comprising a pair of plates,means fixedly mounting each of the plates on the deck and one on eachside thereof, a rod extending between said plates and fixedly attachedthereto, a sleeve slidably mounted on said rod, a pair of spaced armsfixedly attached to said sleeve and projecting rearwardly therefrom, aboom projecting rearwardly from said rear deck, sprockets on each end ofthe boom, a digger chain encircling said sprockets, a drive shaft onwhich one of said sprockets is mounted, a gear housing, said drive shaftprojecting from the gear housing, and drive means extending from thefirst named drive means to said gear housing, said gear housing beingsecured to one of said arms, a tubular housing on the boom encirclingthe drive shaft, means journalling the tubular housing on said arms, andhydraulic means mounted on one of said side plates to shift said sleeveand supporting arms and boom laterally on said rod, and hydraulicallyactu ated means mounted on said side plates and connected to saidtubular housing to rotate said tubular housing and raise or lower saidboom.

4. A trench digging attachment mounted on a motor vehicle, said motorvehicle including a rear deck, and a drive means driven from the' enginethereof, said trench digging attachment comprising a pair of plates,means fixedly mounting each of the plates on the deck and one on eachside thereof, a rod'extending between said plates and fixedly attachedthereto, a sleeve slidably mounted on said rod, a pair of spaced armsfixedly attached to said sleeve and projecting rearwardly therefrom, aboom projecting rearwardly from said rear deck, sprockets on each end ofthe boom, a digger chain encircling said sprockets, a drive shaft onwhich one of said sprockets is mounted, a gear housing, said drive shaftprojecting from the gear housing, and drive means extending from thefirst named drive means to said gear housing, said gear housing beingsecured to one of said arms, a tubular housing on the boom encirclingthe drive shaft, means journalling the tubular housing on said arms, andhydraulic means mounted on one of said side plates to shift said sleeveand supporting arms and boom laterally on said rod, and hydraulicallyactuated means mounted on said side plates and connected to said tubularhousing to rotate said tubular housing and raise or lower said boom, apair of shoes one on each side of the boom, and means mounting saidshoes from said tubular housing to raise and lower said shoes with theboom.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,463,302 Townsend July 31, 1923 1,630,231 Vaughn May 24, 1927 1,689,981Vaughn Oct. 30, 1928 1,891,428 LeBleu Dec. 20, 1932 2,428,131 UebelhoerSept. 30, 1947 2,519,075 Schmidt Aug. 15, 1950 2,584,287 Przybylski Feb.5, 1952

